Breathwork//Tactics: A Rationale for Structured Breath Training in Law Enforcement

Abstract

Police officers are required to perform higher-order problem-solving while under acute physiological and psychological stress, conditions under which cognitive function measurably declines and the likelihood of error rises. Research indicates that officers performing under anxiety show a response bias toward shooting, and that the use of lethal force is reduced when officers remain more parasympathetic dominant. Despite this, breath training in law enforcement is typically limited to a single technique, box breathing, popularized as “Tactical Breathing,” taught as an isolated component of general resilience training, without attention to breathing mechanics, dysfunction correction, or applied practice under load.

This paper argues that this represents a substantial missed opportunity, and proposes a structured alternative. Breathwork//Tactics is a breath training program built on five design criteria: autonomic nervous system education, functional breathing assessment and correction, instruction in a sequenced set of regulation techniques, applied practice under controlled physiological stress, and early academy placement to support skill internalization across a career. The program was developed by breathwork educator Jesse Coomer in collaboration with Jared McKee, a United States Marine combat veteran and retired police officer with more than twenty-two years of service.

We review the evidence base for each component, including findings that officers with strong respiratory muscle function demonstrate approximately 40% greater pistol shooting accuracy, and that cold water immersion produces a predictable norepinephrine response suitable for controlled stress inoculation. We conclude that structured breath training is a practical, low-cost, evidence-informed intervention with implications for officer decision-making, use-of-force outcomes, and long-term officer health.

Executive Summary

Five findings:

1. Anxiety measurably biases officers toward shooting, including at suspects who have surrendered, and lethal force errors decrease when officers remain parasympathetic dominant.
2. Dysfunctional breathing patterns are prevalent in all populations and produce chronically elevated sympathetic arousal, meaning many officers begin every shift at an elevated baseline.
3. Respiratory muscle strength and pulmonary function correlate with approximately 40% greater pistol shooting accuracy in police cadets.
4. Box breathing alone, taught without breathing mechanics or applied practice, is a sound technique deployed in an incomplete framework.
5. Cold water immersion produces a reliable norepinephrine release that replicates the neurochemistry of high-threat arousal, enabling officers to practice regulation in a controlled setting rather than discovering it in the field.

1. Introduction: A Rationale for Focused Breath Training

Police officers are tasked with making complex decisions under high levels of stress on a daily basis. Officers are routinely sent on calls that require higher-order problem-solving while experiencing intense physical and psychological stressors. In such situations, the safety of the officer, of potential suspects, and of bystanders relies on measured and focused intervention.

The effects of acute stress and anxiety on performance are well documented. These physiological and psychological stressors have been shown to rapidly reduce cognitive function (Gershon et al., 2009; Nieuwenhuys et al., 2015; Thompson et al., 2015). Research conducted on police officers under varying levels of anxiety found that:

“when performing under anxiety, police officers showed a response bias toward shooting, implying that they accidentally shot more often at suspects that surrendered”

Nieuwenhuys, Savelsbergh, & Oudejans, 2012, pp. 827–833

In contrast, research has demonstrated that the use of lethal force is reduced when officers are able to remain more parasympathetic dominant (Andersen et al., 2018).

The context has also changed. In the age of video phones and social media, officers are under greater scrutiny than at any prior point in the history of public service, criticized for their actions, words, and demeanor in ways that were previously impossible.

There has never been a greater need to equip officers with practical tools to regulate their mental state, which, in physiological terms, means practical tools to regulate their autonomic nervous system. Extensive research demonstrates that humans in a sympathetic dominant state of autonomic arousal exhibit riskier and more antisocial behavior (Bendahan et al., 2017). A 2018 study concluded that law enforcement officers become more susceptible to:

“adverse events (e.g. injury, excessive use of force) after repeated exposure to high-stress calls for service”

Jetelina et al., 2020

As stated in the Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology:

“the ability to react and assess situations calmly, with a greater sense of control, and less negatively seems to be linked with the production of accurate, effective, and efficient behaviors that mark expert policing”

Vivian, Lande, & Suss, 2021, pp. 513–522

Considering the extensive research on the adverse effects of prolonged sympathetic dominance in policing, a condition also described as chronic hyperarousal (Gilmartin & Artwohl, 2002), it is essential that practical, science-based tools for autonomic regulation be offered to officers as early in their careers as possible, and that these tools be taught with sound pedagogy in order to encourage sustained use.

2. The Current State: Why “Tactical Breathing” Alone Is Insufficient

The link between breathing patterns and autonomic state is well established, with observations dating as far back as the American Civil War (Gilbert et al., 2014, p. 2). Yet the full potential of breath training has not been realized in public safety or military applications. This is likely attributable to a shortage of practitioners able to translate controlled breathing techniques into practical application for these populations.

The value of controlled breathing has nonetheless been recognized by respected voices within these communities. In On Combat: The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and Peace, Lt. Col. Dave Grossman recommends a technique he terms “Tactical Breathing,” known more widely as box breathing, to balance the autonomic nervous system and steady heart rate (Grossman & Christensen, 2007). This is a technique originally known as Sama Vritti, originating in the yogic tradition of pranayama. It is one of thousands of techniques practiced within the field of breathwork today. Grossman’s recommendation has rippled throughout the military and public safety community, and appropriately so: it is a safe and effective technique for balancing the autonomic nervous system.

However, teaching “Tactical Breathing” in isolation does not equip officers to address the full range of issues associated with chronic hyperarousal, acute stress, and physical performance. It is generally delivered as one element of a general resilience curriculum, without regard for breathing mechanics or for the range of other techniques available for performance and recovery. Put simply, the prevailing approach captures a small fraction of what breath training can offer.

2.1 Design criteria for an adequate program

To properly equip recruits for the demands of modern policing, an effective breath training system should meet the following criteria:

1. Provide officers with a working understanding of the autonomic nervous system and how their state governs mindset, problem-solving, and physical wellbeing.
2. Offer practical training in breathing mechanics, strengthening of the breathing musculature, and correction of common breathing dysfunctions.
3. Offer a range of breathing techniques suited to specific circumstances and specific outcomes.
4. Provide the opportunity to practice these tools in a safe, controlled environment that replicates an overwhelming stress response, so that application is experienced directly rather than described theoretically.
5. Provide skills that continue to be used throughout academy training, ensuring the techniques are internalized across a recruit’s career.

These criteria formed the blueprint for Breathwork//Tactics, developed by Jesse Coomer with Jared McKee, a United States Marine combat veteran and retired police officer with more than twenty-two years of service. Chief McKee found that by controlling his breath and employing a proper breathwave, he could regulate his body during high-stress encounters. This reduced over-reaction to escalated individuals and supported proper functional movement during use of force, service firearm deployment, and emergency vehicle operation.

3. The Breathwork//Tactics Program

Breathwork//Tactics provides training in five integrated areas.

3.1 Autonomic nervous system education

The program begins with a general overview of the autonomic nervous system and practical instruction in the importance of ANS awareness and regulation.

Immediate benefits. As established above, officers in a heightened state of autonomic arousal are more likely to experience rapid decline in cognitive function, more likely to engage in risky behavior, and more likely to discharge their firearm. Equipping officers to recognize the symptoms of acute autonomic arousal gives them the opportunity to intervene during periods of high physiological and psychological stress, reducing the risk of these maladaptive behaviors.

Long-term benefits. Bringing purposeful awareness to autonomic state is the first step in addressing the issues documented by Dr. Kevin Gilmartin in Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement: A Guide for Officers and Their Families. Gilmartin’s work describes in detail the long-term adverse effects of an unchecked and unregulated autonomic nervous system on the mental and physical health of police officers. Offering officers education in their own physiology is offering them a path to a healthier and more fulfilled life in law enforcement.

3.2 Functional breath assessment and correction

Breathwork//Tactics provides a functional breathing assessment, practical instruction in correcting breathing dysfunction, and guidance on maintaining healthy breath mechanics.

Benefit: reduction in chronic autonomic arousal. It is well established that dysfunctional breathing patterns are prevalent across all populations and contribute to chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system, producing sustained anxiety (Gardner, 2004, pp. 105–108; Studer et al., 2011). Individuals with dysfunctional breathing patterns are more likely to exist in a chronically heightened state of arousal even at rest, owing to the coupling between the autonomic nervous system and respiration (Gilbert et al., 2014, pp. 1–9). Breathing dysfunction may also present as musculoskeletal pain or chronic fatigue (Gilbert et al., 2014, p. 9).

The program provides officers with an assessment to identify dysfunctional patterns, along with tools to remedy them. When individuals breathe with proper mechanics, respiration becomes more efficient, producing slower and more relaxed breathing throughout the day and lowering sympathetic activation. Efficient breathing improves both mental and physical performance, helping the officer maintain composure and, when required, improve physical output through optimal tissue oxygenation. Given the established finding that officers are more inclined to shoot when anxious (Nieuwenhuys et al., 2012, pp. 827–833), reducing an officer’s basal anxiety level benefits not only individual health but may contribute to reducing use-of-force incidents.

Benefit: approximately 40% improvement in shooting accuracy. Research published in June 2022 found that police cadets demonstrating both strong respiratory muscles and optimal pulmonary function were approximately 40% more accurate in shooting performance (Karaduman et al., 2022, pp. 1–13). Functional breathing improves not only the capacity to focus but also physiological stability in the upper body: it reduces upper-body movement and sway, improves spinal stability, and improves dexterity. Deep breathing using functional mechanics has additionally been shown to improve retention of newly learned motor skills (Yadav & Mutha, 2016).

3.3 Four sequenced regulation techniques

The program provides practical instruction in four breathing techniques that may be used individually or combined in sequence to downregulate autonomic arousal and emotional overload. All are practiced with attention to functional breath mechanics to ensure effectiveness and long-term adherence.

Techniques alone are of limited value. Practicing these techniques in combination with the functional mechanics taught beforehand allows trainees to reinforce healthy breathing with every breath and every repetition. Each technique is led by the instructor, and trainees are encouraged to ask questions and voice difficulties. Instructors may enhance training by adding physiological stressors, such as jumping jacks, push-ups, or burpees, allowing trainees to practice application under load.

1:2 ratio breathing (extended exhale). A downregulation technique suitable for the most extreme situations. Officers learn to use it both to regulate themselves and to help civilians regulate. It is a simple, modulatable technique grounded in the effect of extended exhalation on the vagus nerve; expiration stimulates vagal activity, activating the parasympathetic nervous system (Komori, 2018). Because it requires no counting and no breath holding, it is more practical than box breathing during critical incidents, and it can be readily taught to civilians during victim interviews to support composure and accurate reporting. The technique begins with the maximum exhale available and slowly expands until breathing normalizes or the practitioner is composed enough to move to box breathing.

Box breathing (“Tactical Breathing”). Already established in law enforcement and military settings. Within Breathwork//Tactics, trainees learn to practice it with functional mechanics and receive guidance on when its use is appropriate. It is best deployed before and after intensely stressful situations, or during manageable stress. Trainees learn how it fits within a sequence of regulation techniques, in many cases following 1:2 ratio breathing.

4-7-8 breathing. A cadence widely championed by Dr. Andrew Weil to rapidly induce a relaxation response. It combines slow controlled breathing with an extended exhale and isometric contraction of the intercostal muscles. It may be used prior to a stressful or unpleasant activity, or appended to the downregulation sequence.

The physiological sigh. Frequently taught to mountaineers and endurance athletes to open alveoli and clear excess carbon dioxide. It is also valuable during emotional overwhelm when composure must be maintained. It may be practiced alone or as the final element of the downregulation sequence.

3.4 Applied practice under controlled physiological stress

The program includes practical experience using downregulation techniques during cold water immersion, a safe and controlled condition that replicates the neurochemical state of overwhelming autonomic arousal.

Safely replicating high autonomic arousal in a predictable way across a group of trainees is difficult. Individuals differ in what they find stressful, and any artificial scenario carries the trainee’s awareness that the situation is not genuinely life-threatening. It is possible, however, to reproduce the neurochemical environment of intense autonomic activation through methodical cold exposure, allowing trainees to experience the same brain chemistry that occurs in a life-or-death encounter.

Under high stress and anxiety, the autonomic nervous system becomes sympathetic dominant, causing the locus coeruleus to secrete norepinephrine. The evolutionary function of this response is to heighten awareness, sharpen the senses, and mobilize the organism for action. The greater the perceived threat, the more norepinephrine is secreted. Elevated central norepinephrine is experienced subjectively as anxiety (Goddard et al., 2010, pp. 339–350).

Cold water immersion consistently and profoundly activates the sympathetic nervous system and produces a consistent, predictable release of norepinephrine (Johnson et al., 1977, pp. 216–220; Leppäluoto et al., 2008). This provides a safe, controlled, and repeatable method of replicating the internal state officers will encounter in the field.

Under the stress of cold immersion, trainees observe in real time the effectiveness of the techniques they have just learned. The result is a safe and effective method of learning autonomic downregulation while experiencing a proximal biochemical and autonomic state.

Beyond its value as stress inoculation, structured cold exposure carries independent health benefits. While most commonly used in sports recovery for its anti-inflammatory effects, regular cold training is associated with improved immune resilience (Janský et al., 1996, pp. 445–450). A randomized controlled trial conducted in 2016 demonstrated a 29% reduction in sick days over the course of a year among those taking cold showers, and a 54% reduction among those who combined cold showers with exercise (Buijze et al., 2016). Cold exposure has also been shown to improve mood and has been proposed as an effective intervention for symptoms of depression (Shevchuk, 2008, pp. 995–1001).

3.5 Early academy placement and reinforcement

Introducing Breathwork//Tactics early in academy training gives recruits repeated opportunities to practice autonomic regulation throughout their entire time in the academy, which substantially increases the likelihood of continued use in the field and across a career.

Recruits gain tools they can deploy during OC spray and Taser exposure, physical training, and scenario-based instruction such as FTX and Red Man training. With each subsequent exercise, regulation via breathing protocols becomes progressively internalized, producing a calmer and more focused officer in the field.

4. Conclusion

A modern police force must employ every available tool to ensure the highest standard of policing. The evidence clearly indicates a need for practical, science-based tools for autonomic regulation, so that officers retain maximum cognitive capacity during high-stress encounters.

Breath training is unusual among available interventions: it requires no equipment, imposes minimal cost, carries negligible risk when properly instructed, and produces effects that are immediate as well as cumulative. What it has lacked in law enforcement is not evidence but structure, a curriculum that treats breathing as a trainable skill set rather than a single technique appended to a resilience module.

By providing Breathwork//Tactics early in the academy, agencies give recruits the opportunity to practice autonomic control early and often, producing a more controlled and focused police force.

About the Authors

References

1. Andersen, J. P., Di Nota, P. M., Beston, B., Boychuk, E. C., Gustafsberg, H., Poplawski, S., & Arpaia, J. (2018). Reducing lethal force errors by modulating police physiology. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 60(10), 867–874. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000001401
2. Bendahan, S., Goette, L., Thoresen, J., Loued-Khenissi, L., Hollis, F., & Sandi, C. (2017). Acute stress alters individual risk taking in a time-dependent manner and leads to anti-social risk. European Journal of Neuroscience, 45(7), 877–885. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.13395
3. Bertilsson, J., Niehorster, D. C., Fredriksson, P. J., Dahl, M., Granér, S., Fredriksson, O., & Nyström, M. (2019). Stress levels escalate when repeatedly performing tasks involving threats. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1562.
4. Buijze, G. A., Sierevelt, I. N., van der Heijden, B. C. J. M., Dijkgraaf, M. G., & Frings-Dresen, M. H. W. (2016). The effect of cold showering on health and work: A randomized controlled trial. PLoS ONE, 11(9), e0161749. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0161749
5. Critchley, H. D., & Harrison, N. A. (2013). Interaction between cognition, emotion, and the autonomic nervous system. Handbook of Clinical Neurology, 117, 59–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-53491-0.00006-7
6. Gardner, W. (2004). Hyperventilation. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 170, 105–108. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.2405003
7. Gershon, R. R. M., Barocas, B., Canton, A. N., Li, X., & Vlahov, D. (2009). Mental, physical, and behavioral outcomes associated with perceived work stress in police officers. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36(3), 275–289. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854808330015
8. Gilbert, C., Chaitow, L., & Bradley, D. (2014). Recognizing and treating breathing disorders (2nd ed.). Churchill Livingstone.
9. Gilmartin, K. M., & Artwohl, A. (2002). Emotional survival for law enforcement: A guide for officers and their families. E-S Press.
10. Goddard, A. W., Ball, S. G., Martinez, J., Robinson, M. J., Yang, C. R., Russell, J. M., & Shekhar, A. (2010). Current perspectives of the roles of the central norepinephrine system in anxiety and depression. Depression and Anxiety, 27(4), 339–350. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.20642
11. Grossman, D., & Christensen, L. W. (2007). On combat: The psychology and physiology of deadly conflict in war and peace (2nd ed.). PPCT Research Publications.
12. Janský, L., Pospíšilová, D., Honzová, S., Uličný, B., Šrámek, P., Zeman, V., & Kamínková, J. (1996). Immune system of cold-exposed and cold-adapted humans. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 72(5–6), 445–450. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00242274
13. Jerath, R., Crawford, M. W., Barnes, V. A., & Harden, K. (2015). Self-regulation of breathing as a primary treatment for anxiety. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 40(2), 107–115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-015-9279-8
14. Jetelina, K. K., Beauchamp, A. M., Reingle Gonzalez, J. M., Molsberry, R. J., Bishopp, S. A., & Lee, S. C. (2020). Cumulative, high-stress calls impacting adverse events among law enforcement and the public. BMC Public Health, 20, 1137. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09219-x
15. Johnson, D. G., Hayward, J. S., Jacobs, T. P., Collis, M. L., Eckerson, J. D., & Williams, R. H. (1977). Plasma norepinephrine responses of man in cold water. Journal of Applied Physiology: Respiratory, Environmental and Exercise Physiology, 43(2), 216–220. https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1977.43.2.216
16. Karaduman, E., Bostancı, Ö., Karakaş, F., Kabadayı, M., Yılmaz, A. K., Akyildiz, Z., Badicu, G., Cataldi, S., & Fischetti, F. (2022). Pistol shooting performance correlates with respiratory muscle strength and pulmonary function in police cadets. Sustainability, 14(12), 7515, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127515
17. Komori, T. (2018). The relaxation effect of prolonged expiratory breathing. Mental Illness, 10(1), 7669. https://doi.org/10.4081/mi.2018.7669
18. Leppäluoto, J., Westerlund, T., Huttunen, P., Oksa, J., Smolander, J., Dugué, B., & Mikkelsson, M. (2008). Effects of long-term whole-body cold exposures on plasma concentrations of ACTH, beta-endorphin, cortisol, catecholamines and cytokines in healthy females. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation, 68(2), 145–153. https://doi.org/10.1080/00365510701516350
19. Nieuwenhuys, A., Savelsbergh, G. J. P., & Oudejans, R. R. D. (2012). Shoot or don’t shoot? Why police officers are more inclined to shoot when they are anxious. Emotion, 12(4), 827–833. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025699
20. Nieuwenhuys, A., Savelsbergh, G. J. P., & Oudejans, R. R. D. (2015). Persistence of threat-induced errors in police officers’ shooting decisions. Applied Ergonomics, 48, 263–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2014.12.006
21. Russo, M. A., Santarelli, D. M., & O’Rourke, D. (2017). The physiological effects of slow breathing in the healthy human. Breathe, 13(4), 298–309. https://doi.org/10.1183/20734735.009817
22. Shevchuk, N. A. (2008). Adapted cold shower as a potential treatment for depression. Medical Hypotheses, 70(5), 995–1001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2007.04.052
23. Studer, R., Danuser, B., Hildebrandt, H., Arial, M., & Gomez, P. (2011). Hyperventilation complaints in music performance anxiety among classical music students. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 70(6), 557–564. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2010.11.004
24. Thompson, A. G., Swain, D. P., Branch, J. D., Spina, R. J., & Grieco, C. R. (2015). Autonomic response to tactical pistol performance measured by heart rate variability. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29(4), 926–933. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000000615
25. Van Diest, I., Verstappen, K., Aubert, A. E., Widjaja, D., Vansteenwegen, D., & Vlemincx, E. (2014). Inhalation/exhalation ratio modulates the effect of slow breathing on heart rate variability and relaxation. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 39(3–4), 171–180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-014-9253-x
26. Vivian, P. Ta., Lande, B., & Suss, J. (2021). Emotional reactivity and police expertise in use-of-force decision-making. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 36(3), 513–522.
27. Yadav, G., & Mutha, P. K. (2016). Deep breathing practice facilitates retention of newly learned motor skills. Scientific Reports, 6, 37069. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep37069